Flow control heab



Oct-5, 1937. A. J. PENICK ET AL 2,094,312

FLOW CONTROL HEAD Filed Nov. 10, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 5, 1937. A.J, PENICK ET AL. 2,094,812

' FLOW CONTROL HEAD Filed. Nov. 10, 1954 '4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/ 8 6 if /35 3 A; l7 2a lf f 2 4 /2 7 v 25 60 24 7" 15 3 6/ 51 2 u a2- 18% g; 20 4834 W 13" l 1 lb /1 O 9 I I SVVO M A M MAL, fij/z/ufl Oct. 5, 1937. A; J.PENlCK ET AL $094,812

FLOW CONTROL HEAD Filed Nov. 10, 1934 4 Sheets-Shet s 1 arrow, 4

Oct. 5, 1937. A. J. FENICK ET AL FLOW CONTROL HEAD Filed Nov. 10, 1954 4sheets-snai Patented Oct. 5, 1937 FLOW CONTROL HEAD Arthur J. Penick andgirby T. Penick, Houston, ex.

Application November 10, 1934, Serial No. 752,440

4 Claims. (01. 166-15) This invention relates to a flow control head.

An object of the invention is to provide a control head adapted to beattached to an outer pipe, or casing, in a well, to control the flowliquid, or gas, or both, from the well.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thecharacter described whereby the liquid and gas may be taken offseparately from the well.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of thecharacter described whereby the fluid, either in the form of liquid orgas, flowing through the tubing and that flowing through the casingaround the tubing may be taken off and delivered from the well throughthe same flow line or through separate flow lines.

A still further object of the invention is to provide. an apparatus bymeans of which the fluid flowing under pressure from the casing may bedelivered into the tubing and forced downwardly therethrough to cleanse.the tubing should the same become clogged up, and by meansof whichfluid flowing under pressure through the tubing may be delivered intothe casing and forced downwardly into the casing for unclogging thecasing should the latter become clogged.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in apparatus'ofthe character described a novel type of valve, mechanism for controllingthe flow lines and having valves arranged to act either simultaneouslyor alternatively to control the corresponding line,-

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in apparatus ofthis character a novel type of tubing hanger equipped with novel meansfor securing the same in the head proper between the flow lines of thetubing and casing respectively.

' The invention discloses certain improvements over that type of tubinghanger and anchor support disclosed in our U. S. Patent No. 2,016,454 aswell as certain movements over the controlling valve constructiondisclosed in our United States Patent No. 1,971,381.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, operation, andarrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specificationand illustrated in the accom-' panying drawings, whereinz- I Figure 1shows a side elevation of the flow control head, shown partly insection.

Figure 2 shows a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-4 of Figure1.

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary vertical sectional view, showing a slightlymodified form of tubing hanger.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken on the line ttl of Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows a fragmentary sectional view showing a novel type ofvalve mechanism for controlling the flow lines.

Figure 6 shows a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, showinga slightly modified form of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, and

' Figure '7 shows a side elevation of that type shown in Figure 6 takenat right angles to the view shown in Figure 6.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals ofreference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral ldesignates a tubular head adapted to be connected in any preferredmanner to the upper end of the outer pipe, or casing 2,. in the well.The head has an inside annular groove 3 forming a seat. The lower sideof this groove is preferably formed with an abrupt shoulder t, and theupper side of the groove is preferably formed with an upwardlyconverging shoulder 5.

Secured in any preferred manner to the upper end of the head, there is avalve casing t having the passageway i therethrough which may be openedor closed by the one-way, rotatable valve removed for that purpose; 'or,the cap 9 may be removed and flow connections attached instead to thevalve casing 6, if desired. There is a tubular hanger support it adaptedto support the inner tubing ll, whose upper end may be connected to thehanger support in any preferred manner, as by threads. This support Illhas the external annular flange l2 thereon and surrounding, the supportin, and resting on the flange l2 there is an annular cage it having theexternal annular groove M. This groove is of a dove-tailed formationhaving the upper and lower flanges l5, it, one of which may be welded inplace in process of construction. The supporting segments ll are mountedin the groove [4, and are radially movable. Each segment has an upperflange l8, and a lower flange l9, engageable against the correspondingflanges l5, Hi, to retain the segments ii in place. After segments l!have been assembled in the groove I, one of the flanges I5 or IE maythen be formed by welding process. The segments I1 are seated againstthe coil springs 20 which are interposed between said segments and thecorresponding cage I3, and the segments are thereby held normally intheir outer position.

In the form shown in Figure 2 there is a wedge ring 2I which surroundsthe support In and which is mounted on the cage I3. This wedge ring hasan upwardly and inwardly tapering. face 22 on which the slips 23 aremounted. These slips have the inner sides shaped to conform to the shapeof and are seated on the tapering face 22 and have their outer sidesprovided with upwardly pitched teeth. On the slips 23 there is a ring 24which closely surrounds the hanger support I0 and fits closely withinthe head I and on this ring there are the packing rings 25 which in turnsupport the metal ring 26. The packing ring 25 closely surrounds thesupport I0 and fits closely within the head I and a jam nut 21 isthreaded on to the upper end of the support I0 and may be screwed downclosely against the ring 26 to expand the packing to form a fluid-tightjoint between the packing and support I0 and between the packing and thehead I as well. A .flange 28 may be welded or otherwise secured to theupper end of the hanger support III to prevent the detachment of the jamnut beneath.

The upper end of the hanger support I0 may be internally threaded, as at29, for the connection of a section of pipe thereto, whereby the tubingI I and the hanger therefor may be lowered into the head I. While thetubing is thus being let into the well, the valve casing 6 should beremoved from the head I, and as the tubing hanger is lowered whensupporting segments I1 register with the groove 3, said segments will beforced outwardly by the springs 20 and segments will land on theshoulder 4 and thus support the tubing hanger and tubing.

In the form shown in Figure 3, the packing rings 25 are located directlyon the ring 24 which in this instance is, in turn, supported on the cageI3. In this form shown in Figure 3 the wedge ring 2| is located directlyon the packing 25' and the slips 23 are located on the tapering face 22of said wedge ring in the same manner as illustrated in Figure 2. Theseslips also have the external upwardly pitched teeth and also have theinside grooves 30. In this form the jam nut 21' threaded on to the upperend of the support II), has an external annular flange 3| which fits inthe groove 30.

When the tubing has been located in the well and is supported on theshoulder 4, the jam nut 21, or 21, as the case may be, may be screweddownwardly to expand the packer 25, as well as to force the slips 23, or23', as the case may be, outwardly into engagement with the walls of thehead I to anchor the tubing hanger and tubing so that they will not beblown out by internal pressure in the well, and the valve casing 6 withthe cap 9 thereon may then be installed in place.

When it is desired to remove the tubing from the well, the jam nut 21 or21 as the case may be, may be unscrewed, that is, may be screwedupwardly to release the packing. When the form of hanger shown in Figure2 is used, and the packing is released, this will ordinarily relieve thepressure on the slips 23 sufliciently to permit the tubing hanger andtubing to be withdrawn. When the form of hanger shown in Figure 3 isused, as the jam nut 21 is screwed upwardly, the

head I to permit the withdrawal of the tubing hanger and tubing. It isto be noted that the segments I1 are provided at their upper ends withthe upwardly tapering faces 32, and upon upward movement of the tubinghanger these tapering faces 32 engage the tapering shoulder 5 to causethe retraction, or inward movement of the segments I1 to allow thehanger to move upwardly out of the tubing head I.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the head I has the upper and lower valvehousings 33, 34, preferably formed integrally therewith and of tubularformation and the head I has the upper and lower outlets 35, 36, aboveand beneath the hanger respectively. Splined in the housings 33, 34, arethe valves 31, 38, whose forward ends are preferably beveled forming theannular faces 39, 40. The outer ends of the valve housings 33, 34, havethe stufling boxes 4,I, 42, respectively, secured therein, and therotatable valve stems 43, 44, work through said stuffing boxes and haveswiveling connection therewith, but are confined against longitudinalmovement. The inner ends of these stems are coarsely threaded throughthe nuts 45, 46, respectively of the valves 31, 38, whereby uponrotation of a valve stem, the associated valve will be correspondinglymoved into open or closed position as is obvious. A hand wheel 41 isprovided for attachment to either of the stems to rotate thesame.

A tubular manifold 48 is provided and has the upper and lower annularflanges 49, 50, for connection to the mating flanges 5|, 52, on theforward ends of the valve housings 33, 34 whereby the manifold 48 may besecured to said valve housings. This manifold has the upper and loweroutlet lines 53 and 54 controlled by suitable gate valves 55, 56.

The forward ends of the valve housings 33, 34 have the sleeve-like valveseats screwed therein through which the fluid flowing through theoutlets 35, 36 may enter the manifold 48. The valves 31, 38, may beeither simultaneously or alternatively actuated into seated positionsagainst the seats 51, 58, or into open positions. Between the valveseats 51, 58, the manifold 48 is formed into a valve casing 59 in whichthere is located a one-Way rotatable valve 60 which is provided with astem 6I whereby the valve 60 may be turned into open or closed position.In the form shown in Figures 4 and 5, a modified form of valve mechanismfor controlling the outflow of fluid into -the manifold 48 has beendisclosed. In connection with the disclosure of this form, it is to beunderstood that the outlet from the head I above the hanger, and thevalve mechanism for controlling said outlet, is identical with theoutlet from the head beneath the hanger and the valve mechanism forcontrolling the same, as illustrated in Figure 5, only the lower outletand valve mechanism being shown in said Figure 5. In this form, theoutlet'36'has a sleeve-like valve seat 58' screwed therein and a tubularvalve housing 62 extends out at approximately right angles to the tubinghead and is preferably formed integrally therewith. Splined in thehousing 62 there is a valve 63 and this valve has a threaded connectionwith the inner end of the stem 64 which is rotatable in, but confinedagainst longitudinal movement relative to, the stuffing box 65 in theouter end of the said valve housing 62, and by the rotation of saidstem, the valve may be actuated in the position against the seat 58' toclose the outlet or may be actuated into open position to permit theflow of fluid through said outlet, as indicated in Figure 5. It is to beunderstood that in this form of construction shown in Figure 5, the headI is also provided with valve housings similar to the housings 33, 34,to which the manifold 48 (Figure is connected. The lower housingreferred to will be designated by the numeral 34a, andat its outlet endis provided with a sleevelike valve seat 58a, similar to the seat 68,and which may be controlled by the valve 38 (see Figure 1). Thesecontrol valves of Figure 5, to wit, the valves 36 and 63, are off-setrelative to each other so that they maybe simultaneously moved into aposition to close the seats 68', 58a, or to simultaneously open them, orthey may be alternatively actuated into either of said positions. Thissimultaneous or alternative action of the valve 38, 63, may be founddesirable while making repairs or substitution of parts on the flowlines connected with them.

In the form shown in Figures 6, 7, there are the gate valve casings 66,61, connected into re- I spective out-flow openings 35, 36, and thesecasings may be opened and closed by the respective gate valves 68, 69.These valves are of conventional construction and may be opened andclosed through the instrumentality of the hand wheels 10, H. In thisform of the structure the manifold 48 is attached to the respectivevalve housings 66, 61, as clearly shown in Figure 6.

In operation, the valve 60 may be opened and in. the form shown inFigure 1 with the valves 31, 36, also open, the fluid from the well, beit either liquid or gas, may flow out into the manifold 48 and be ledoff through either, or both, of the flow lines 53, 54, depending onwhether or not the valves 55, 66, are opened or closed, and a likeresult may beobtained when the form in Figure 5 is used, by opening bothvalves controlling the upper and lower outlets from the tubing head, andif the form shown in Figure 6 is employed, a like result can be obtainedby opening the valves 68 and 69. By closing the valve 60,

the out-flow from the casing may be led off through the line 54, or, theoutlet from the casing may be closed by closing the valve 56 or thevalve 36; and, with the valve 60 closed, the

out-flow of the well from the tubing may be led "oil? through the line53, or may be closed off by closing the valve 65,.or the valve 31. Inthe form shown in Figure 6, it is obvious that by suitably manipulatingthe valves 68, 69, the outlet from the tubing and the casing may becontrolled at will, and the outlet from either or both may be let offthrough the outlet line 63, or 54, or both of them by suitablymanipulating the valve 60.

It sometimes happens that the tubing ll may become clogged up; in suchcase the valves 65, 56, may be closed, and the valve 60 opened. Theupper valve 31 or 68 and the lower valve 38 or 69 may also be opened,and the fluid under pressure may then flow from the casing and be forceddown into the tubing to force out the clogging material and cleanse thetubing: or, on the otherhand, the casing may become clogged up, in

which case, with the valves set, as last above described, the fluidunder pressure will flow up through the tubing and back down through thecasing so as to force out the clogging material, relieving thecongestion in the casing.

The drawings and description disclose what are now considered to bepreferred forms of the invention by way of illustration only, while thebroad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a flow controlling apparatus, a tubular head adapted toibeattached to a pipe in a well, a tubular branch formed integrally withand extended laterally from the head and having an inside removable seatadjacent the head, a valve movable axially in said branch into oneposition to close the seat and into another position to open the seat,means for actuating the valve into either of said positions, a flow tubeleading out from said branch, out beyond said seat, and being offsetvertically with respect to said seat,

a valve seat within and adjacent the inner end of said tube, a valvemovable axially with respect to said flow tube and arranged to controlsaid last mentioned seat, means for actuating the last mentioned valveinto open or closed position, said valves being independently movableand being arranged to simultaneously or alternatively open and closesaid seats.

2. A flow controlling apparatus comprising a tubular head having outletsat different elevations, a tubing hanger in the head adapted to supporta tubing, means for supporting the hanger between the outlets, upper andlower valve housings of tubular formation on the head whose forward endsare formed with flanges, a valve in each housing movable axially withrespect thereto for controlling the corresponding outlet, a tubularmanifold connecting said outlets and having upper and lower flangesarranged to register with the corresponding housing flanges, means forsecuring said flanges together.

3, A flow controlling apparatus comprising a tubular head having outletsat different elevations, a tubing hanger in the head adapted to supporta tubing, means for supporting the hanger between the outlets, upper andlower valve valve in said casing for controlling the flow of fluidthrough the manifold.

4. A flow controlling apparatus comprising a tubular head adapted to beattached to a pipe in a well and having a conduit leading outwardlytherefrom, an inner removable valve seat at the inner end of saidconduit, a valve. housing extended outwardly from the head in alignmentwith said seat, a valve in said housing movable into one position intocooperation with said seat to close the conduit and into anotherposition to open the conduit, an outer valve seat around the conduit andoffset with respect to the inner valve seat, a valve housing inalignment with said outer valve seat, a valve in said last mentionedhousing movable into and out of cooperating relation with the outervalve seat to control said conduit, said valves being offset relative toeach other so that they may be simultaneously, or alternatively openedand closed and a valve beyond the outer valve seat for opening andclosing the conduit.

ARTHUR J. PENICK. IHRBY T. PENICK.

